Listen to Them

A new report from the UK House of Lords says the government there doesn't listen to its scientific advisers, and recommends that they be consulted during policy making, reports the Guardian's Ian Sample. "The government must overhaul its use of chief scientific advisers to prevent departments from ignoring and sidelining evidence that affects their policies," he says. "The committee examining the role and function of chief scientific advisers found that expert advice was sometimes blocked, dismissed or not sought early enough to influence the decisions they made." The committee also recommends that future scientific advisors be recruited from outside the government, and that they work part time to maintain ties with academia and industry, Sample adds.